Homeschooling Fun

I have been busy the last couple of weeks.  And what have I been up to this time?  Making a workable homeschool schedule!
Martha and Ian are both doing really well - I praise the Lord for their eagerness when it comes to school!  Martha is starting to read and Ian is rapidly following in her footsteps!  He isn't reading yet, but we've been working on his letters and numbers, and I am always surprised when I realize how many he already knows!
I have found some websites just for Homeschoolers!  They are a Homeschooling Mom's dream!  One of those websites is saved as a "Favorite"!  I have found and downloaded many things that I am using right now - mostly with Ian, but some with Martha also.  I found them from "Confessions of a Homeschooler"  http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com  I have found so many wonderful ideas - and they are fun!  Yes, I want my children to learn; but I have discovered that children learn best when they are having fun!  I have also learned that when the students are having fun, the teacher has fun too!  I know, I know….there must be serious moments - not just fun!  Believe me, we have plenty of serious moments!

I found the clock on a different website

Ian is learning his ABC's, so the chart is great for practicing!  Because the kids (Martha especially) are so excited about Baby coming, we are working on calendars - which naturally leads to time and seasons!  We have had a bit of confusion with the seasons….since we live below the Equator, our seasons are opposite of North America!  I guess I'll have to make another Season chart - one for Peru and one for the U.S.!  In the next picture, you will see a model of the solar system.  No, we aren't exactly studying Science full-time just yet!  Here's what happened…I decided to start teaching Martha and Ian the songs from the hymnal.  I have my Mom's hymnal.  I was praying about which song to start with, and the Lord led me to "This is my Father's World."  "The music of the spheres" is a phrase that comes up in the first verse.  Martha wanted to know what "spheres" were.  I simply explained that it is all the planets in the universe that God created.  I explained that the planets are "spheres" or "circles."  This naturally led to a little lesson on the planets and the model.  So, not only have the kids learned the first verse of the song, but they can also tell you there are 9 planets!  That's what I call fun learning!

These are the numbers that I downloaded - aren't' they fun?

I add new letters as Ian learns them!

Ian chose to stand under the "F"

Martha chose the "B" 

All too soon they will be 5 and 6 years old!

In the desks the Lord provided!

So, we are getting settled into a routine.  The routine still needs tweaking, but we'll get it all worked out…then our routine will change because Baby will be here (in 21 weeks for those of you who are wondering…)!